Manual time requests in TimoDesk let a member ask for work time the desktop app did not record, such as a client call away from the computer. A reviewer approves the request, changes it or rejects it before it reaches the timesheet. Every request carries a project, a time range and, if you require one, a reason.
Picture Thursday afternoon. One of your developers has just finished a ninety minute client call. The call was real work, but the laptop was closed and the timer never started, so the week is ninety minutes short. You could leave the timesheet wrong, or let people type in whatever hours they like and hope for the best. Neither helps with client reporting or trust. Manual time requests give you a third option.
Why do missed hours need a review step?
Automatic tracking is accurate because it only records what happened while the timer was running. That is also its limit. Some work happens away from the keyboard, and some days people forget to press start.
Common cases look like this:
- A forgotten timer: the member worked for an hour before noticing the tracker was off.
- Work away from the desk: a client call, a meeting room session or a site visit.
- A device problem: the laptop died or restarted in the middle of a task.
A review step keeps these corrections honest. The member explains what happened, a reviewer checks it, and the list shows who decided. Time the desktop app tracked can never be edited, so manual entries are the only way to add hours.
How do members request manual time?
Manual time is off by default. Once an organizer turns it on, a Manual Time link appears in the sidebar. The page lists your requests, with filters for All, Pending, Approved and Rejected. If you also review requests, yours are on the My Requests tab.
The request form
Click Request Time and fill in the form:
- Project: required. You can pick a project you are assigned to, or one you have already tracked time on.
- Task: optional. Leave it as "No task" if the time belongs to the project in general.
- Date: today or an earlier day. The time cannot end in the future.
- Start and End: picked in 5-minute steps. If the end is earlier than the start, the form says the time ends the next day.
- Reason: a short note, such as "Forgot to start the tracker during the client call". It is required if your organization asks for one.
Then click Send Request. The request appears in your list as Pending. If your organization approves requests automatically, the time is added right away instead.
A day bar that shows what is already recorded
Under the time fields, the form shows a bar for the chosen day. Blocks on it are labeled Tracked, Manual or Waiting for review, so you can see the free gaps before you send anything. You can also drag your pick along the bar to move it or change its start and end.
This matters because time is never counted twice. A request cannot overlap tracked time, approved manual time or another request that is still waiting for review.
Editing or canceling a request
While a request is still Pending, you can use Edit Request to change it or Cancel Request to withdraw it. Once a reviewer has decided, both buttons are grayed out.
How do reviewers approve, change or reject requests?
Reviewers see the Manual Time page with a Review tab. The number next to Manual Time in the sidebar and on the tab shows how many requests are waiting, and pending requests are listed first.
The menu on each pending request has three actions:
- Approve: the time is added to the member's timesheet exactly as asked.
- Review request: open the request, see the reason and the member's day, adjust the project, task, date or times, add an optional note to the member, then approve or reject.
- Reject: no time is added, and the member sees the request as rejected.
If a reviewer changes a request before approving it, the list shows the original times under the new ones, labeled "Asked". The member can see exactly what was requested and what was granted.
TimoDesk sends dashboard notifications, not emails. Reviewers get one when a new request needs review. Members get one when their request is approved or rejected, or when a reviewer adds, changes or removes their time.
Adding time directly
Reviewers can also click Add Time to enter time for a member without a request. That time is approved and added to the member's timesheet right away as manual time, and the member is notified.
Changing time after approval
Approval is not final. A reviewer can use Edit time on an approved entry, or Remove time to take it back out of the timesheet and reports. A removed entry stays in the list as Removed, so the history is not lost.
What do the request statuses mean?
| Status | What it means | Counts as worked time? |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Sent and waiting for a reviewer | No |
| Approved | Accepted, with or without changes | Yes |
| Rejected | Turned down by a reviewer | No |
| Cancelled | Withdrawn by the member before review | No |
| Removed | Approved earlier, then taken back out by a reviewer | No |
Rejected and canceled requests do not block that time, so the member can send a new request for it.
Who can review manual time?
The organizer decides how wide the reviewer group is. The setting is called Who can review and has three levels:
- Organizers only: only organizers review requests.
- Organizers and business managers: the default. Business managers can review any member except organizers.
- Organizers, business managers and team managers: team managers are added, and they review only the members of the teams they manage.
A few rules apply at every level. Nobody reviews their own time, and only organizers can review an organizer's time. When an organizer adds their own time, it is approved right away.
If you use team managers as reviewers, set up your teams first. See how to organize your workforce with teams and what team managers and project leaders can access.
Which settings control manual time?
The organizer manages everything from the Manual Time tab in Account. A single switch, Manual time entries, turns the feature on or off for the whole organization. When it is off, members cannot send requests.
Approval
Besides Who can review, the Approval setting has two choices:
- Review each request: the default. A reviewer approves or rejects every request.
- Approve automatically: requests go into the timesheet right away.
Request limits
Three settings keep requests reasonable:
- Longest single entry: No limit, or 1, 2, 4 or 8 hours per request.
- How far back: No limit, or the last 1, 3, 7, 14 or 30 days.
- Require a reason: on by default. Members must explain each request before sending it.
One rule applies to everyone regardless of settings: a single entry can be at most 12 hours. Longer stretches have to be added as separate entries.
The three limits above apply only to member requests. When a reviewer adds time for someone else, the review has already happened, so those limits are skipped. The 12-hour maximum and the overlap check still apply.
Settings for single members
You do not have to treat everyone the same. Organizers and business managers can open a member's Tracking Policy and set Manual time requests to Not allowed for that person, or give them their own Manual time approval rule (Approve automatically or Needs review).
A member can be switched off individually, but nobody can be switched on while manual time is off for the organization. For changing many members at once, read about tracking policies.
How does approved manual time show in reports?
Approved manual time is added to the member's time for the project, and the task if one was chosen. It counts as worked time in reports that show hours, such as Time & Activity, the Time Calendar and the Monthly Timesheet, and the task's time total goes up with it.
It stays marked as manual where you review work. On the dashboard, the day timeline shows it in its own color, labeled Manual. On the Screenshots page, a block of manual time reads "Manual time" and "Added by hand, not tracked" in place of a screenshot, and a block that mixes tracked and manual time gets a Manual badge. Clients who follow a project in the client portal see it marked as manual too.
Manual time has no keyboard or mouse activity, screenshots, apps or websites behind it. Reports such as Time & Activity, the timesheets and the weekly summary emails leave it out of activity averages, so adding it does not drag a member's activity down.
If a reviewer later edits or removes the entry, the reports follow. You can check the result in the Time Calendar and Monthly Timesheet.
What are good habits for handling manual time?
- Keep the reason required. A one-line explanation makes every approval faster and gives you something to check later.
- Set a look-back window. Seven days is easy to remember and keeps requests close to the work they describe.
- Review on a schedule. The pending count sits on the sidebar link and on the Review tab, so a quick daily pass is enough.
- Use the note field. When you change or reject a request, tell the member why. The note is shown with your decision.
The manual time help guide covers every rule and screen in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add time in TimoDesk if I forgot to start the timer?
Yes, if your organization has manual time turned on. Open Manual Time, click Request Time, choose the project, date and time range, add a reason, and send the request. A reviewer then approves, changes or rejects it.
Who approves manual time requests?
Organizers always can. Depending on the Who can review setting, business managers and team managers can too, with team managers limited to the teams they manage. Nobody reviews their own time.
Can manual time overlap with tracked time?
No. A request is refused if it overlaps tracked time, approved manual time or another request that is waiting for review. The day bar in the form shows those blocks before you send.
How long can one manual time entry be?
At most 12 hours for anyone. Your organization can also set a shorter limit for member requests: 1, 2, 4 or 8 hours. Longer stretches have to be added as separate entries.
Does manual time lower my activity percentage?
Not in reports such as Time & Activity, the timesheets and the weekly summary emails. Manual time has no keyboard or mouse activity to measure, so those averages are based only on the time the desktop app tracked.
Does manual time count toward billing?
No. TimoDesk bills $1 per user per month only for members who tracked time with the app that month. A member who has only manual time in a billing month is not billed for it.
Keep timesheets complete and honest
Manual time requests give you a clear path for the hours the tracker missed. Members explain what happened, reviewers decide, limits keep requests reasonable, and manual hours stay marked as manual where you review work. See how it fits with the rest of manual time in TimoDesk.
If your team still fixes missed hours through chat messages and spreadsheets, try a week with a proper review queue. Start your 15-day free trial, no card needed, and turn on manual time from Account.
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